Not For Forever
by ChibiJazRide
Summary: He had promised. He had promised and now that promise was broken. Maybe forever had come too early, maybe forever was shorter than he thought it'd be. The only thing he knew for sure was that falling in love was risky, but when someone fell out of it... the other got hurt. And Lovino had never thought that it would happen to his relationship. They had promised forever after all.


**A/N: Well, I've been working on this since October, and hopefully there aren't any errors whatsoever. But you never know. This can be a stand alone or in companion to "Never Stop Smiling"! For those of you who follow "Cryonic", you can hopefully expect another chapter in 1-2 weeks as well!  
****Anyways, please do enjoy the story and thanks in advance for reading!**

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**Not For Forever**

_We ended up like this..._

"And the 'cutest couple' title for our graduating class is for Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and his boyfriend, Lovino Vargas!" Lovino swallowed down the dread he felt at hearing the announcement, silently standing from his table with a short glance to the Spaniard that was standing up a few feet away to follow him to the front of the ballroom for pictures, speeches, and blah, blah, blah… He didn't really care. Everyone had expected them to gain the title, even if they hadn't been the most perfect couple around the school. They shouldn't be remembered as the 'cute' couple that was always together when Lovino was practically always being some type of rude, should they?

"Lovino, are you-," he always wondered where his nickname had gone. He shot a silent glare towards Antonio, shutting him up without having to say anything out loud and pushed him forwards until he was in front of the microphone. Lovino wasn't going to say anything; let Antonio talk to every single senior and their families. He crossed his arms as he watched the perky Taiwanese girl that was announcing the titles hand Antonio a white teddy bear with two stitched on red hearts between its paws. "Well, thank you everyone for naming us cutest…"

The words floated in and out of focus, every single pair of eyes on them, or contently watching the flashing pictures on the screen behind them displaying candid shots of the 'happy' couple in the halls interacting. After noticing them himself, he kept his eyes stuck to the floor with the hope that he didn't outright start crying there and that no one noticed the horrid blush rushing into his cheeks. Especially when his mind unconsciously registered Antonio saying 'broke up' and the crowd starting to murmur in shock. They must've thought it was some joke… How Lovino wished it was just that. A joke, a bad one. It would've made the ache in his heart disappear, along with the unwanted attention and criticism that he would, with no doubt, receive now.

The words drilled into his heart and he didn't want to look up, for fear of what everyone would be thinking now or sending looks of pity thei -his way- unless they thought Lovino was the one who… ended it. If they thought that, they didn't know just how wrong they were. They hadn't witnessed it, or heard Lovino's heart breaking in half from the sheer thought of the one person he had trusted and tried -actually tried and given his best- to make his own feelings palpable and clear towards.

It didn't take long until he felt hands usher him off the small platform softly, pressing the innocent teddy bear into his hands and leaving his warm palms flat on his shoulders. "You keep it," Lovino glanced up at Antonio, face most probably showing off his confusion and sorrow. Antonio's own eyes portrayed a swirl of guilt that made Lovino turn back to the teddy bear squished between his hands. Only then did he catch the hand-sewn inscription on the red hearts. 'Tonio and Lovi', it read mockingly, anger flashed through him. It had to be a joke. He turned around abruptly, throwing it at Antonio.

"I don't want it!" he shouted, shocking those close to them. "Why would I want something that reminds me of-of what you fucking ended?" Shaking his head, he tried to stop the tears pricking at his eyes. He couldn't breakdown right there, he didn't want the attention. Let someone else take it; let someone else suffer instead of him!

"Lovino-"

"Don't call me 'Lovino'!" Antonio watched him with a regretful expression, a small, sad smile etched into the curves of his mouth. For what the expression was for, he didn't care and didn't want to know. "Not 'Lovino', nor 'Lovi', or-or 'amor'! Not that you fucking would." He blinked rapidly, shoving his hand into his pockets and turning away to leave. "Shit…"

"Lo-" He didn't give Antonio the chance to answer, bolting along the edge of the tables and bypassing the table where his parents, brother, and grandfather were sitting at without a glance. Lovino needed out, he couldn't stand knowing that people were probably narrowing their attention onto the scene he'd unavoidably created.

His surroundings blurred past from his speed and the droplets of salt water trailing down his face. He could care less what happened to the people still inside, they weren't going through the same emotional hell he was.

Finding the glass doors at the end of the twisting hallway, Lovino pushed one open, letting it slam behind him before moving to the side and slumping down against the cool glass of the door next to it. He had thought the actual breakup had hurt… but, now, knowing that everyone else knew, reality crashed down around him in a crueler manner than before. Letting his head drop between his knees, Lovino thought of just how much he had lost in the last few days. How in the world was it fair to lose the person you trusted and loved the most, possibly the only person you'd even be able to love with so much intensity… passion?

As much as he wanted to believe that he hated Antonio, he couldn't make himself think so. His heart still soared at the sight of the Spaniard, the sound his voice. He knew that no matter what he did, the older brunette would always plague his thoughts and render his memories bittersweet. Briefly, he wondered if running out had been the smartest thing to do at the moment. Not that he actually cared if everyone remembered him like that. It didn't matter, not anymore.

Lovino sighed letting a finger trace over the packed dirt beside the concrete slabs of the sidewalk, absently drawing nonsense into the light dust covering the patch of earth. He hoped if anyone followed him out it would be his brother, not the Spaniard, nor his grandfather. At least his brother would understand to some extend what he was going through. Hadn't Feliciano been devastated after that little kid that he had loved so much had left? It was almost like Lovino being cast aside… wasn't it? One-sided, not plausible, unrequited. Whatever the word, it applied.

After staying in complete silence for a long time, Lovino heard one of the glass doors scrape open and fall shut shortly afterwards. Steps stopped abruptly, followed by the rustling of clothing. No other noises met his ears, letting him know that he was to talk first… if he wanted to, that was. Lovino continued with the random design of swirls and square edges, letting silence control them for a second before speaking up, "if this is about that bastard, I don't want to hear it. I'm not taking that stupid plush, and I'm not going to talk about it."

"I didn't think you would, Lovino."

Lovino's hand froze, a breath being sucked in shakily at the sound of the voice next to him. He didn't want to look up, but something was telling him he had to, almost like an invisible force. Slowly, he turned his head around, immediately being caught off guard by the emerald colored eyes of Antonio. A shattered scoff burst forth from his cold-feeling lips, "what do you want?"

The tips of Antonio's mouth turned downwards; the hand he was about to reach out was pulled back towards his chest, quickly starting to fiddle around with the buttons on his shirt. Seemingly awkward, he opened and closed his mouth in rapid succession before finally speaking. "Well, you ran out right after…"

This time a stronger scoff ripped away from Lovino's throat, "yeah, sure. Thanks for acting like you care… or cared."

Wincing, the Spaniard shook his head, trying to placate the other. Lovino could only stare at him, willing back the tears starting yet again. "You know I-"

"I know, dammit, I know," he managed to get out, "don't repeat it." Repeating the words would only make it hurt more. What was that saying he had heard once? 'If you love until it hurts, there can only be more love, not hurt'? A paradox that stood half true. Lovino knew he could only end up with more pain than love. "Just leave me alone."

"But Lovino, everyone is worried since you just…" It was Lovino's turn to shake his head, though he didn't care what his fellow seniors thought, nor their family members.

"Don't you fucking get it?" he glared at Antonio, tucking his hands into his pockets and trying to keep his mouth in the form of a scowl. It was getting harder to do so, the bottom edge of his lips starting to quiver slightly, "I don't want any more to do with- with this." He gestured wildly between them. Couldn't Antonio just get it? He didn't want anything to do with him, the wound was still too fresh, it still stung way too much. He could still feel arms around him, holding him, and the soft kisses that would be pressed to his lips and face. "And don't think that you can just waltz out here and be able to 'fix' me. I don't need it, dammit." Having him there, within reach and yet a galaxy away from him... it wasn't the best for him. It felt like he was being ripped apart for a second time.

He could still hear every word from that conversation loud and clear, a small, sharp blade slicing at his heart as if on a pendulum. "At least come back inside, it's cold out here," to emphasize his point, Antonio puffed out a cloud of warm air into the chilly sky. "You don't want to get sick, do you?"

That'd be easier to deal with than this, Lovino felt like retorting; instead, he only forced a sigh through his nostrils and stood up. "I'm not going back in there, I'd rather walk home than sit through more of this stupid banquet and have to see that idiotic teddy bear that was handed to you."

"I said I was sorry about that…" the Spaniard softly murmured, looking at Lovino with a tired expression, as if he'd repeated that one simple phrase too much, which he had. Lovino just sniffed into the night, turning to walk home as he'd said he would. "I never thought that I..."

"Sorry isn't enough to set things right. You broke a promise, one you said would never wish of breaking, and one I foolishly placed everything I had into," and with that last whisper, Lovino left, a few rogue tears making their path, shining down his cheeks. He desperately wished he could forgive Antonio and go back to being friends, but he knew he wouldn't be able to just stuff aside his feeling to do so.

_...even though..._

Lovino leant against the brick wall of the school, eyes closed to the world as a soft breeze rushed past him. Antonio had asked him to meet him by the entrance earlier in the day, though he wasn't sure why he couldn't have just waited near the soccer pitch's sidelines like he usually did when they had after school plans. Maybe Antonio just hadn't wanted him there to watch a grueling practice, one caused by the team's defeat a weekend prior. That was most probably the cause… and they had plans for wandering around the mall that afternoon as well. Antonio was usually hungry right after his practices as well; they could easily have a snack as soon as they reached downtown.

He checked his watch. Antonio's practice should've ended a few minutes ago, what was taking him so long? It usually didn't take too long to get from the pitch to the front of the school... at least that's what it felt like when he was walking with Antonio. Sighing, he sat down on the stone wall on the side of the stairs. He was about to close to eyes when he heard the doors open and close behind him. Lovino turned, seeing Antonio with a troubled expression. Confused, he jumped down and waited for Antonio to say something.

"Lovi... thanks for waiting." It almost seemed like the Spaniard was trying to hide something. He mentally shrugged it off, what would Antonio even hide from him? They basically knew everything about each other already; they had never been ones to keep a secret from the other. And the one secret they had kept from each other had ended with them dating. So, no losses there. He watched Antonio fidget before shaking his head and reaching out to grab his hand, tugging lightly to get the other to follow him.

"It's nothing and that took too long, dammit. Couldn't you be any faster?" He tossed a glance over his shoulder, Antonio not even budging from his spot. He blinked in confusion, stopping and loosening his grip on the Spaniard. After seeing the uncharacteristic frown on Antonio's face, he grew even more worried. "Is something up...?"

"Huh? Oh, no, nothings up!" The Spaniard smiled happily, though it looked forced... maybe he was just in a bad mood from the practice. He hoped that was it. He really hoped it wasn't something more serious. Though maybe...

Getting an idea that would cheer Antonio up, Lovino smiled inwardly and congratulated himself on thinking of it. He took a step closer, trying to make himself an inch taller to reach Antonio's lips and squeezing his hand as he closed his eyes. It had to be fail proof, and on the plus side, it always made him feel better whenever Antonio kissed him. Somewhere in his mind, he wondered why he hadn't made contact with Antonio yet, by now he'd usually have already smiled a bit into their kiss...

"Lovino... stop," the words froze him in place, eyes snapping open and dropping Antonio's hand as if he had been electrocuted. A dark blush covered his face, making him lean away and take a step back. Antonio was looking at him weirdly, as if he'd grown- wait, had he been called Lovino? Since when had the Spaniard used his complete first name?

"What?" He blinked, watching his boyfriend with a confused expression. "You don't want me to fucking kiss you? You always complain about it." He hoped the glare he had directed towards the Spaniard was enough to cover the hurt that was probably showing in his eyes. Antonio was always trying to find ways to get Lovino to initiate a kiss, why stop when he was getting what he wanted? It made absolutely no sense. Antonio cautiously sighed, stirring up an icy feeling in the pit of Lovino's stomach. Something was definitely going on. Antonio hadn't even inserted a 'Love you, Lovi~' or 'mi amor', nor had he tried to squish the Italian in one of his overly-affectionate hugs and kisses... It was all unnerving to say the least.

"Can you listen to me first? It'll only be a second, then we can go," Antonio smiled briefly, making the edges of Lovino's lips turn downwards. He swallowed, motioning for the Spaniard to continue. "Okay, I think... don't take this the wrong way, okay? But, uh, I think..."

"Just say it, don't make this a repeat of when you asked me out, dammit," A wry smile made its way to the Italian's face, despite the knot being pulled tighter in his stomach. Antonio seemed to grow even more sheepish at the memory of that day, though he didn't blush like he used to... or smile that one special grin that would make his heart flutter and melt inside his chest.

"Please, please, don't take this wrong way, okay? But," the Spaniard nervously rubbed the nape of his neck, taking a small pause, "I think we need to break up..." His voice trailed off, watching Lovino's reaction with a worried expression.

Lovino froze, the breath leaving his body in an instant. It was joke, right? Antonio wouldn't just break up with him out of the blue. For a second, the sounds wouldn't form words his brain, only gibberish that went in one ear and out the other. He forced himself to swallow. Joking, Antonio was joking. But why would he joke about something so serious? Forcing himself to laugh, albeit shakily, Lovino smiled, "Gr-great joke, Antonio. Haha, that was really funny. Now, what do you really have to tell me?" Antonio looked taken aback, mouth opening before closing. He gave a curt shake of his head. Lovino sighed, looking down and grabbing a hold of the strap on his book bag, "you aren't joking are you...?"

"I'm not..." Antonio smiled sadly, trying to get Lovino's gaze back onto him, not that Lovino would let his eyes meet the green ones of the Spaniard. "I just- I really don't think that I can... date you... if... you know."

"I get it, Antonio. I fucking get it. You don't have to explain at all." And it was tearing him apart. Antonio didn't have to say it out loud, the way he had said that sentence... it said it all. Lovino licked his lips and forced himself not to cry right then and there.

He couldn't see Antonio completely from his vision, just the lower part of his legs which were shifting uncomfortably. "Um, do you still want to go to the mall...?" It was Lovino's turn to shake his head, crossing his arms.

"I'm busy." He could hear his own voice shaking uncontrollably. It was easy to tell that he was lying. Antonio knew that Lovino never had anything to do whenever they went out, and if he did, he simply rescheduled so he was free. That was how they'd been for the last two years...

"Okay... I'll see you later then." Waiting for Antonio to walk away, Lovino brought up the edge of his uniform's sleeve to wipe away angrily at the tears forming in his eyes. He felt like an idiot. And idiot that had let himself fall too easily, based on the sole belief that for once, just once someone would want to keep him around longer. "Wait, Lovino," He looked up, a mistake on his own part, seeing the Spanish teen and making him want to flee in a fraction of a second.

"What?"

The Spaniard gulped, taking a step forward, before thinking better of it and stepping backwards again. "You don't hate me now, do you? We can still be friends?"

That made Lovino laugh and, in turn, made Antonio twitch in nervousness from the crack in pitch of it. "N-no, I don't hate you." The Italian pushed off of the wall, walking past Antonio, forcing him to turn around, "I never could if I fucking wanted to..." Swallowing down his emotions, he wondered if this was his fault. Antonio always had to coax him into being affectionate, except for the few times when Lovino himself started it... "Being friends again would never work out. You should know that, dammit." He paused at the bottom of the steps taking a glance back towards the figure still at the top. "See you around, bastard." There was still a hint of affection, a certain loving tone, somewhere inside the supposed insult tacked onto the end of his sentence.

"Right..." Hearing that, Lovino turn and tried to walk away evenly, chin up so that Antonio knew it wasn't bothering him, that a huge chunk of his heart hadn't just been ripped out, if not destroyed by the person he had least expected it from. Once he knew he was out of sight of the school, he broke into a run, the weight of his backpack only slowing him down by a fraction. The distance between the school and his home wasn't a short one, but it seemed as though he was there in an instant...

Pushing the thought away, he pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind him. The noise made his mother and grandfather peek into the hallway from the living room. They asked if anything was wrong, but he just shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. He passed them, rushing up to his room and thanking God that his father hadn't been there. He was one to make sure he knew what was happening in his sons' lives, inviting Antonio over when they had started dating and- yes, it was a good thing he wasn't there. It would have been messy had he been home from work.

He passed his brother's room, not glancing inside or calling out a greeting. Not that it mattered, Feliciano was coming out of his room at the exact same moment. "Lovi! Weren't you going out with Anto-"

"He was busy." Lovino replied, hoping to escape quickly. He was foiled by Feliciano grabbing at his arm. He sighed out and turned his gaze back onto him, silently begging him not to ask. Feliciano never was one do as asked or pick up on tiny hints.

"No..." he dragged out the 'o', "you two always go out together. You bail on other stuff if you have to!" Lovino scoffed, readjusting his backpack and shaking his head quickly, trying to pull away from his brother's grasp. "Did something happen between you two? It's not another fight, is it? I mean, you two always work past it and-and you both love each other even more afterwards! And Antonio would never-"

"Shut up." It wasn't a yell, but it still made Feliciano flinch back and relinquish his grip on Lovino's forearm. "You want to know what happened?" The younger nodded, slightly scared at the confusing expression on Lovino's face. It was a mixture of pain, hurt, and anger. "He- ...we're over..." he ended up mumbling, eyes downcast.

"What? I don't-"

"Antonio broke up with me, dammit. That's all there is to it!" Lovino crossed his arms in front of him, lips wavering from his fight to keep them from turning that frown that wanted to overtake him. It was hard, harder than he thought staying calm would be. It felt like his heart wanted to explode, saying the words out loud making it feel all the more worse. His backpack slid off of his shoulder, the strap digging into his elbow. Feliciano looked like he wanted to say something, but he shook his head. He gulped, turning away from his brother and heading towards his room again. He didn't want to hear what his younger brother had to say, he really didn't. It would most likely be something about them trying again... Feliciano had always thought they made a great couple...

Letting the backpack fall all the way to the floor, he threw himself onto his bed once he was within reach and wrapped himself in the blue blanket lying half folded on his bed. He could remember the times that he had let Antonio curl up with him under the blanket or would just take the blanket and surprise him from behind by wrapping it around his shoulders while they were doing homework. That wasn't going to happen anymore, nor was the Spaniard's presence in his room going to be there.

Was it possible to take out your heart without dying? He had no use for it, shattered and unwanted by the only person he wanted to give it to. Because really- Lovino, himself, had thought they were a perfect couple.

_...we had love..._

"Ouch! Lovi, stop! That hurts!" Lovino rolled his eyes at Antonio, not easing up on the pressure he was applying to the other's hand. Idiotically, Antonio had gone and cut his hand with a cardboard cutter while trying to cut down an edge.

"I'm trying to making it stop bleeding, idiot," he moved his thumb over slightly to check the wound, "Will you stop jerking around so much? You're going to make me sli-" Antonio hissed out loud, yanking his hand back and cradling it to his chest, making Lovino sigh crossly and reach for a few tissues instead. "Why the hell is it that a cut reduces you to acting like a toddler and yet, getting your leg fucking broken doesn't have the same effect?"

He was shot a bright smile, a tanned hand being presented to him again to wrap the tissue around. "I'm not sure… maybe I'm used to having a broken leg?" Antonio fell silent for a second after he noticed that Lovino had stopped and was instead glaring at him. "What? A broken leg hurts, but stings are much worse than pain!" Lovino just snorted in response.

Carefully, Lovino finished up wrapping the cut with the makeshift bandage, aiming a playful slap to Antonio's head in the process of letting his hand go. "Again, toddler. Maybe I should just become your babysitter," he smirked, "at least then, I'd get paid to fucking watch you."

"Hey!" the Spaniard cried out indignantly, "I thought you liked going out with me." A pout appeared on his face, gathering Lovino into his arms and pressing multiple kisses onto his lips while smiling widely. "Are you sure you'd rather baby-sit me, caramelo?"

Pushing at Antonio's face -which was still trying to administer kisses to him-, Lovino forced back a pleased expression along with a chuckle. "You really are an idiot. That would defeat the purpose of why I said yes in the beginning, wouldn't it?"

That alone made Antonio tackle him onto the ground, hugging him as close as humanly possible with a healthy laugh on his lips. Startled, Lovino yelped and instantly made to get a solid grip on Antonio's shoulders. "Does that mean you already had a future planned for us, Lovi?"

"Oi, don't twist my answers to your liking, Antonio," Lovino grumbled, choosing to search the Spaniard's expressive eyes to see if he was joking or not. "Don't tell me you actually did that…"

The other laughed nervously, a quiet 'maybe…' slipping out before he sat up and glanced at the forgotten project laid out on the coffee table. "We should finish this so we have the rest of the week free…" Lovino sat up as well, scooting back a bit until he was sitting against the couch.

"If you cut yourself again, I'm not going to try to help you," he deadpanned, though the small smile tugging at his features let the other know he trying to be playful.

"Not even when we're unpacking the last box for our apartment?" Antonio pouted, pressing together the tips of his fingers and watching Lovino with an innocent expression.

Without thinking, he blurted out subconsciously, "yes, even then!" Realizing afterwards, he flushed a vibrant red. "I didn't mean that, dammit!" Antonio just chuckled at his reaction. "Don't think that means I've actually thought about what that means!" He watched as Antonio just kept smiling at him.

Picking up a piece of foam and the small knife resting next to it, Antonio just shrugged. "I think it's nice to think about sometimes, you know? Maybe we could move into a nice apartment, one with a balcony so we could have our own little garden growing out over the street!"

Lovino snorted catching the stolen glance Antonio had thrown at him, "why an apartment?"

"Huh? Easy, in case we haven't found that one perfect house yet! Why else?"

Blinking, he had no idea how to answer. Antonio seemed to already know just how they would play out; staying together through everything they went through... the thought made Lovino blush and force back a smile. "Stop being sappy and get back to carving, idiot." He aimed another playful hit at the Spaniard, the other answering with a laughter-filled 'hey!' Sharing an apartment with Antonio wouldn't be that bad anyways... actually, sharing the rest of his life with Antonio wouldn't be that bad.

_.__..and a promise to never part._

Grumbling, Lovino made his way around the roots of an old tree, trying to keep up with the happy Spaniard telling him to hurry up. Antonio was almost too happy today, what with the bigger than usual smiles and even more generous kisses. He wondered what the occasion was. From memory, Lovino knew there wasn't anything special happening that day... or anything that would lead Antonio to take them to the school long after it had closed.

He tightened his grip around the Spaniard's hand and tugged gently. "Now will you fucking tell me what you dragged me out here for?" The taller of the two stopped, turning around and taking hold of his other hand.

Antonio hummed, "you'll see when we get there, okay? I just wanted to do something special." Lovino raised an eyebrow in disbelief, opening his mouth to argue that he wanted to know that instant, but huffed out loudly instead.

"Hurry up then, it's cold out here." Almost as if it was permission to do so, Antonio shot him a smile, squeezing his hands fondly before letting go of one and pulling him closer.

The older of the two hummed happily, starting their trek once again further up the sparsely tree-covered hill. "We're almost there though!" He tugged at Lovino's hand firmly, pulling him in close to his side. The Italian's lips twitched briefly, stealing a glance up at him before looking forward again. "Better?"

Lovino just rolled his eyes, stuffing his hand into the pocket of his jacket with Antonio's following after it. They were alone, so he wasn't really embarrassed at walking so close to Antonio (okay, so they were kind of leaning against each other... that wasn't the point). He closed his eyes, leaning his head back onto Antonio's shoulder in boredom from the walk. That, and he trusted the other enough to make sure he didn't trip over anything in their way. Though a few moments later he stumbled on a large twig, eyes snapping open as he felt himself falling forwards. Thankfully, Antonio managed to catch him and help him straighten up.

"Be careful, I don't want to have to rush you home and go with your parents to the hospital," Lovino could hear a hint of amusement in his voice.

"That was one time, dammit!"

He laughed, gently squeezing Lovino's hand. "And you fell unconscious because of the pain. Just be careful, okay? For me?" The Italian begrudgingly complied, mumbling out the 'yes'. "And the place is just past those trees over there, come on!" He was pulled along with Antonio, moving quicker than before towards their destination. When they reached the edge of the trees, the Spaniard turned on his heel and move behind Lovino, covering his eyes with his hands.

"What? What are you doing?" he asked, hands flying up to Antonio to try to pry them off. It didn't work, instead leaving his hands over Antonio's and backing up against his chest in his try to get away. "Why are you covering my eyes, dammit?"

Antonio stopped them, pressing a kiss to the side of Lovino's head before murmuring into his ear, "shh, it's a surprise. You'll see in a second." They started moving again, this time with Lovino tentatively stepping forward and Antonio quietly reassuring him that he wouldn't trip while he was being led by the Spaniard.

After a while longer, they stopped again. "Are we there yet?" His response came in the form of a quiet laugh.

"Keep your eyes closed, okay?" Lovino huffed out a 'fine', feeling Antonio move around him and disappear from all of his senses for a moment. It wasn't long before he felt Antonio again, his lips pressed tightly onto Lovino's, making him gasp silently from the sudden assault. "Ready, caramelo?"

"Ready for what? What did you bring me here for?"

"For this," Antonio pulled Lovino's hands from his eyes; the change in lighting causing him to blink and shake his head. The first thing he saw was the soft smile that Antonio was giving him. He looked around, only seeing a small clearing and the edge of a cliff. "Lovi, it's over here." He turned back to Antonio who was pointing at a tree behind him.

Confused, Lovino walked forward to stand next to him, eyes focused on the tree. Right in the middle, in crooked, uneven letters, was a carved heart with their initials. He stared at it, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe and what breath he could get in was hurting inside his chest. "Antonio, you did this?"

"Yes," he replied softly, wrapping his arms around Lovino's waist and pulling him close to his chest. "I just wanted to do this, you know? Because I love you. Actually, this isn't the only thing I have for you. There's supposed to be a comet streaming through the sky tonight."

"Stupid, sappy bastard..." he whispered, forcing Antonio to loosen his arms and let him turn around. "Today isn't even important."

He merely smiled wider, "I know."

Lovino blushed lightly, looking away and focusing on the sky above them. It had already started to get dark out, the last colors of the sunset fading off into an inky blue-ish black. A few stars and satellites had popped out, the soft glow of the waning moon just barely lighting up the darkness. The Italian sighed, leaning against Antonio just enough to cause him to stumble back against the tree. They laughed quietly, readjusting themselves to watch the stars comfortably.

Both kept silent, comfortable with just the feeling of the cool night around them and the sound of crickets and the breeze through leaves. Occasionally, Antonio would try to steal a kiss, sometimes coming out victorious and other times having it land on Lovino's cheek. After a while, (and Antonio finally being able to snag more than a quick peck) Antonio breathed out, setting his forehead against Lovino's. "I love you, Lovi."

Humming out contently, Lovino whispered back, "love you, too." He felt at ease with their calming surrounding, words that he kept to himself falling through his lips. "I don't want you to leave me."

The emotion left him feeling vulnerable, enough to make him want to rewind time and stop himself from saying them out loud. "I'm not ever leaving you. I love you, remember?" He heard Antonio say, being pressed closer to him, "I'll stay with you forever... longer if I have to."

"Forever?" Lovino hesitantly asked, tightening his arms around Antonio as he glanced up at the stars above them. After a moment, he looked back at Antonio, only to find his gaze already on him. Smiling, the Spaniard leant down to land a chaste kiss on Lovino's lips, hand curling around the edge of his chin and following the line of his jaw until his fingers fanned out across his cheeks. The look he was being given made a warm sensation form in his stomach, resulting in a smile spreading across his lips as he tucked a lock of curling hair behind Antonio's ear.

"Forever."


End file.
